The European Medicines Agency (EMA) suggests countries stop using AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for all age groups.

The European Union has not placed any new orders for AstraZeneca vaccines, according to European Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses, not cleared for use in the US, were scandalously shipped abroad, including to Canada, the European Union and South Africa.

Britain’s medicine regulator on Thursday said there had been a further 41 reports of rare blood clots after doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Several European countries are considering mixing up COVID-19 vaccines for citizens who received a first dose of AstraZeneca’s shot, an unprecedented move that highlights challenges for governments struggling to tame fresh rises in infections.

According to the European Medicines Agency, 222 cases have been reported in the EU relating to people who have developed serious conditions after taking the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. 18 of those died.

The European Medicines Agency said it had found a possible link between AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine and reports of very rare cases of blood clots.